Machine for working uppers over lasts



Oef. l0, 1950 F, c, cHolcE 2,524,883

y MACHINE." Fok WORKING UPPERs ovER LAsTs Filed Jan. 29, 1948 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 10,-1950 F. c. cHQlcE 2,524,833

limams Fox woRxINcEuPPERs ovl-:R :.As'rs Filed Jan. 29. 1948 i 'r sheets-sheet 2 Oct. l0, 1950 Filed Jan. 29, 1948 F. C. CHOICE MACHINE FOR WORKING UPPERS OVER LASTS 7 Sheet's-Sheet 3 nfor Oct. 10, 1,950 F, c, CHolCE 2,524,883

MACHINE FOR WORKING UPPERS OVER LASTS Filed Jan. 2 9, '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 im n;

Oct. l0, 1950 F. c, cHolcE 2,524,383

MACHINE FOR WORKING UPPERS oven LAsTs Filed Jan. 29, 1948 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Oct. ,10, 1950 F. c. cHolcE MACHINE FOR WORKING UPPERS OVER LASTS '7 sheets-sheet e Filed Jan. 29, 1948.

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MACHINE Foa WORKING uPPERs om LAsTs Filed Jan. 29, 1948 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 ENDSTOP 1SfsToP 220 SMSTOP Patented Oct. 10, 1950 Z,5Zi,3

MACHINE FOR WORKING UPPER/S OVER LASTS Frank Coleman Choice, Leicester, England, as-

sgnor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 29, 1948, Serial No. 5,147 In Great Britain February 18, 1947 26 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for working uppers over lasts and particularly, but not exclusively, to machines for lasting the foreparts of stitchdown shoes.

The invention will be herein illustrated and described as embodied in a machine of the type disclosed in an application for Letters Patent of the United States Serial No. 786,300, i'lled March 21, 1947, in the names of Choice and James, and in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,152,855, granted April 4, 1939, upon the application of Ricks, Boothroyd, and James.

Machines of this type comprise a shoe support inclined upwardly and away from the operator and adapted to receive and support the forepart of a stitchdown shoe with its bottom face downward and with its toe pointing away from the operator. Said machines also comprise a toe-end gripper and two side grippers operable by power-actuated means for gripping and tensioning the toe portion of a shoe upper and a pair of wipers movable from a retracted position to an operative position from which they are moved heightwise of the shoe to wipe the upper toward the sole after it has been tensioned and pulled down tightly to the last by the three grippers. The machine described in the above-mentioned application further comprises a pair of adjustable shoe-positioning and upper-controlling ngers which engage side portions of the last at localities lying between the toe-end gripper and the two side grippers in order correctly to position the last with the upper lthereon relatively to the wipers for their operation on the upper. These fingers support portions of the upper between the grippers during the tensioning operation thereon, thereby assisting in preventing wrinkles in those portions of the upper, and they cooperate with the wipers toward the end of their downward wiping movement to clamp the marginal portion of the upper between the lingers and the wipers and thus act as retarding devices for controlling the upper prior to its being worked into the angle between the sole margin and the side of the last by advancing and closing movements of the wipers;

The shoe support of the machine comprises two parts, a central part which is adapted to support the last and shoe during the upper-tensurface of the wipers to cause a semi-permanent set to be imparted to the outwardly extending flange of the upper. The uppers of stitchdown shoes diifer as to the materials constituting the uppers as well as to the general stoutness of the uppers and the amounts of material available to be acted on by the grippers and wipers of a machine constructed as above referred to. These different conditions render difcult the insertion of the upper margins of successive shoes between the gripper jaws since the jaws of the grippers in their open condition do not, in the prior machine, 'oifer as large an upper-receiving space between them as would be most suitable to receive the upper margins which are not at that time outspread in a fairly at condition.

It has been found also that the materials constituting the toe portion of the upper often include a toe stiffener which is in a somewhat adhesive condition at the time when the shoe is presented to the machine.v The toe stiifener therefore adheres to the lower jaws of the grippers after the grippers are opened to release the upper to allow the shoe to be removed from the machine. This adhesion between the stiffener and the gripper jaws tends to pull the upper out of its conformed relation to the last as the operator removes the shoe from the machine. Moreover, the toe-end gripper of a machine constructed as above referred to receives a movement in a direction extending lengthwise of the last at a relatively early stage in its upper-pulling movement, and this sometimes gives rise to a tendency to disturb the position of the last in the machine.

Important objects of the present invention are to provide a machine of the type disclosed in the above-mentioned application so arranged as to overcome the defects referred to.

Other objects of the invention are to improve the cooperation of various instrumentalities of a machine constructed generally as disclosed in said application.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention includes novel gripper-operating mechanism, a novel arrangement for forcibly separating upper material from the grippers of the machine after the grippers have opened to release the upper, and modied means for operating a heel abutment and shoe-positioning ngers of the machine. To facilitate presentation of the margins of a shoe upper between the jaws of the grippers, the machine includes an organization which causes the jaws of the three grippels t0 be opened apart to an unusually wide angle when in hil Il 10pele-.mergin-receiving condition and includes auxiliary jaw-closing mechanism which operates automatically after the upper margin has been placed between the jaws and, after the machine has been started into power operation, to swing the upper jaw of each gripper so far toward its cooperating jaw that a power-operated, jaw-closing and moving means for each gripper may become eiective to move the upper jaw into gripping engagement with the upper and then move the gripper bodily in a direction to tension the upper.

To forcibly separate from the lower jaws of the side grippers any material that may adhere to the lower jaw, the illustrated machine includes in each side gripper a stripping device having upper-stripping prongs which lie in recesses in the upper-engaging face of the lower jaw when the grippers are closed upon the upper and which are automatically raised from said recesses as the open grippers are returned to their initial raised position to lift any material still overlying the lower jaw away from engagement therewith.

The illustrated machine includes a mechanism which operates independently of the mechanism which imparts the upper-tensioning movement to the gripper for causing the gripper to impart a foredraw or lengthwise pull to the toe end of the upper after a considerable portion of the uppertensioning movement has taken place.

In the illustrated machine, a heel-end abutment is caused to move into shoe-supporting engagement with the upper only after the side grippers have commenced to tension the upper, thereby reducing the tendency for the forward thrust of the abutment to displace the shoe from its proper position in the machine.

In the illustrated machine, the shoe-positioning fingers have their return to operative position delayed, the fingers being held in their retracted inoperative position by a latch device which is released to allow them to move to operative position substantially when other parts of the machine reach their iinal position of rest. This delay in the movement of the fingers provides more time for the operator to remove the shoe from the machine without danger of its being fouled by the shoe-positioning ngers.

These and other features of the invention will appear more fully from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the present invention with part of the outer casing broken away;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of parts shown in Fig. 1 with the wipers in their forward or operative position and with the toe-positioning fingers in their inoperative position;

Fig. 3 is a detail View of the end of one of the shoe-positioning ngers;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the shoe support, grippers and shoe-positioning fingers and shows the means by which the adjustment of the shoepositioning lingers is indicated;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the mechanism for raising the central portion of the work support;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the toe gripper including its overdraw mechanlsm;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the toe gripper with its jaws in upper-gripping position;

Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of parts shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a View of one of the side grippers with its jaws in fully open position;

Fig. l0 is a side elevation of the toe gripper in open position;

Fig. 11 is a similar view showing the jaws in partly closed position;

Fig. 12 is a front view of the main shaft and cams by which the machine is operated; and

Fig. 13 is a cam chart indicating the relative timing of the various parts.

Like the machine described in said application, the illustrated machine is a twin machine only one side of which is herein shown and described, it being understood that the other side is of similar construction except that it is adapted for treating a shoe for the other foot. The machine comprises a base casting 40 and a head casting 42, a shoe-supporting device 44, a toe-end gripper 46, a pair of side grippers 48, 50, a pair of wipers 52, a vamp-pressing member 54, a heel-end abutment 56, a pair of toe-positioning ngers 58, and means for operating these instrumentalities which may be substantially like the corresponding parts of the machine disclosed in the above-mentioned application except as will be hereinafter pointed out. The machine has means for actuating the three grippers to seize and pull the upper. The three grippers and the means for operating them are substantially alike except as will be hereinafter explained and the toe gripper will be rst described, it being understood that the similar parts of the side grippers are designated by the same Characters. The toe gripper (Figs. 6 and 7) comprises a lower jaw 6G secured at 6I to a gripper casing 62 the lower portion of which is formed as a sleeve 63 through which a gripperoperating rod G4 extends. Surrounding the lower portion of the gripper casing 62 is a sleeve 65 which is pivoted at 66 to a bracket 61 secured at G8 to a supporting post 69.

An upper jaw l is pivoted at li to ears on the casing 62. In the illustrated machine the upper jaws of all three grippers are arranged to open relatively to the lower jaws to such an extent that the panes of the upper-engaging surfaces of the upper jaws lie at some 50 to the plane of the lower jaw, as shown in Fig. 10, in the case of the toe gripper. The plane of the lower jaw extends inwardly and upwardly at an angle of about 20 to the plane of the bottom of the shoe supported by the shoe support 44 so that the upper-engaging surface of the upper jaw lies, when the gripper is opened, at an angle of about 70 to the plane of the shoe bottom. The fact that the upper jaw extends upwardly at such a relatively steep angle enables the operator easily to insert the margin of the upper between the jaws as he positions the shoe in the machine. The angular disposition of the lower jaws in relation to the plane of the shoe bottom is such that the lower jaw lies roughly parallel to the position of the marginal portion of the upper material at the time the shoe is presented to the machine, that is, loosely outwardly and downwardly from the last. The movement of each of the two side grippers as they tension the upper takes place in such a direction that the upper margin is not deflected to any substantial extent.

During power operation of the machine, the upper gripper jaws of the three grippers are closed in two stages. During the first stage, the upper jaws are moved about their pivots 1| until they occupy positions relative to the lower jaws of ejs2-1,883

about (Fig. 11). This movement'of the upper jaws of the grippers in the illustrated machineis brought about by auxiliary gripper-actuating mechanism which will now be described.

Each gripper jaw li] has a tail portion 'V projecting beyond the pivot 'll for the jaw. .Arranged to engage a lower surface 'Hi of the tail portion 'F2 is a roll 'l5 on the upper end of an arm 16. The arm is freely pivoted on a` stud 18 extending between a pair of parallel side plates 80 which lie one on each side of the tail'portion l2 of the upper jaw these plates being pivoted on the stud 1l. The plates 80 are connected together at their outer upper end portions by means of a spacing member S2 (Fig. 7) extending between the plates. The arms i6 are arranged to be swung in the gripper-closing direction about their pivots 18 to cause the roll 'E5 to ride along the under surface of the tail portion l2 of the upper jaws unti1 the arms 76 lie at right angles t0 said surfaces, further movement of the arms in this direction being arrested by engagement with the separating members 82.

The gripping faces of the upper jaws will now be at an angle of about 25 to the lower jaws (Fig. 11). The downward movement of each upper jaw takes place against the action of a tension spring 3d extending between a pin on the upper jaw and an ear 8l on the separating member 82, that is, the upper jaw is biased to open position. Since, in the partially closed position of the jaws, the arms 16 have been moved clockwise just beyond a position at right angles to the under surfaces 14 of the tail portions of the jaws, these jaws and the side plates 8) thereof act as one member when the plates 8E areswung about the pivot studs 'li by a gripper-actuating mechanism to effect nal closing of the jaws.

To effect the swinging movement of the` arms 16, each arm has a lug 86 extending inwardly and downwardly therefrom, the lug havingan under surface arranged to be engaged by the end of a rod 88 which extends upwardly and somewhat inwardly from a pin Si) (Fig. 6) by which its lower end is pivoted between walls of a deep groove out in the arcuate peripheral surface of an actuating member @2. The member 92 is pivoted on a pin gli which is at the center of the arcuate periphery of the member. Pivotal movement of the member 9:2 acts as a crank to move the rod 83 endwise and move the arm i6 into the position shown in Fig. 7. The pivot Se is carried by a bracket 9E which is secured to a block 98 extending outwardly from the lower end portion of the gripper casing B2, the lower end portion of the casing extending somewhat below the sleeve 65 in which the casing slides.

The upper end portion of each rod 88 extends upwardly through a hole in a block @il connected between the lower portions of the side plates 853, the holes being'large enough to permit swinging movement of the side plates about the studs l'! during the final closing movement of the grippers. To rock the arcuate members 92 of the three grippers about their pins 9G, Bowden cables lo@ are provided, one for each member S2. One` end portion of each cab-le is secured in a pin m2 lying near the periphery of the member 92 and extends therefrom downwardly in a circumferential groove formed in the member. A pull on the cables ill is effective to rock the associated member 92 in such a direction as to raise the rods d8 which, by engaging the'lugs 88, swing the arms 'it to move the upper jaws l@ to their partially closed position, as shown in Fig` 11. Tension springs lllli ymain shaft H9 (Fig. l2).

are provided for each member 92, each spring being connected between a pin secured in the arcuate member and a pin ll secured in the 'bracket 96 and being effective to return the member to its initialposition with the rod lowered. The cables lll pass downwardly through heightwise extending bores in the blocks 93, the lower end portions of these bores being enlarged to receive the upper end portions oi the casings for the cables. The end portions of the three cables remote from the members 92 are all connected to a single cam-actuated lever l it pivoted at llt (Fig. 4) and arranged to lbe actuated by an appropriately shaped cam surface l il formed on the periphery of a cam I IS secured to a cam shaft l I 9 (Fig. l2). This cam surface is arranged to allow the members 92 to lower the rods 83 under the action of the springs H16 shortly after they have been moved upwardly partially to close the grippers since the upper jaws of the grippers will not return to their open position while the arms 16 lie at right angles to the surfaces M of the tail portions of the upper jaws. Suc-h lowering of the rods 83 permits unhindered swinging movement or" the side plates 8o carrying the arms 'i6 to close the grippers upon the upper materials.

The power-operated, cam-actuated mechanism for finally closing the upper jaws of the gripper upon the upper material comprises a wedge member l2@ secured to the gripper-operating rod 613 and having faces 25, l2?. at an obtuse angle to each other. The face iZl first cooperates with the rounded end of the block Q9 carried by the side plates 88 to quickly move the gripper jaws to nearly closed position, the surfaces |22 then engaging the blocks Elli and finishing the closing movement at a slower rate and hence with greater gripping advantage. The lower ends of the gripper-operating rods 6d are connected by ball-andsocket joints to the upper end portions of links H23 the lower ends of which are all yieldingly connected to a block i3@ (Fig. l).

rlhe block 39 is connected to a lever I 32 fulcrumed at E33 on the frame. A rear arm of the lever 132 is connected by a link i3d to a lever 35 fulcrumed on the frame at l between its ends and carrying at one end a roll i3d whichengages a cam path Mil formed in a cam i4! on the The cam operates the lever 35 counterclockwise to draw down on the three grippers yieldingly through springs I 42, M2.

Means for opening the toe-end gripper at a convenient stage in the machine cycle comprises a pair of parallel links M3 (Fig. 6) connected at their upper ends to a pair of levers I lili' pi'voted on a transverse horizontal stud les carried by side plates 80. The stud ill lies above and slightly outwardly from the studs lil and the levers ldd extend substantially forwardly in the machine, their connections to the links mbeing at their forward ends. On a stud Mii extending' through transversely alined holes in the side plates 3i! between the levers dfi is pivotally mounted a roll l5@ (Fig. 7), this roll being. when the jaws are closed, approximately half way between the studs ii and l. The roll i is adapted to engage the arm 'le on clockwise swinging of the levers ill@ about their pivots li and to move the arm in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot stud T3. This movement of the arm moves the roll lli away from the position it occupies when the grippers are closed, thus allowf ing the spring 84 to swing the upper jaw about its pi'vot to open the gripper jaws.v Such swing- 'i' ing of the levers |44 is effected by upward movement of the links |43.

The links |43 are pivotally connected at their lower ends to a yoke-like lever |52 pivoted on a shaft |54 extending horizontally widthwise of the machine and secured in a bore in the block 90, the block being received between the parallel arms of the yoke-like lever. The links |43 are connected to the rearwardly extending arms of the lever |52 which is also provided with a downwardly extending arm |56 having a hemispherical recess in a forward face, in which recess is received a ball |58 formed on the forward end of a rod |60 extending rearwardly of the machine through a bore in the arm |56 leading into said recess.

The rod |60 (Fig. l) is pivoted to a lever |6| fulcrumed between its ends on a shaft |62 fixed on the machine frame, its lower arm carrying a roll |63. This roll is in the path of a cam |64 carried by a lever |65 fulcrumed at |66 on the frame and having a roll |61 engaging a cam path |68 in the cam ||8 on the main shaft ||9 (Fig. 12). When the lever |65 is moved countercleckwise by the cam path |68 in the cam ||8, the cam |64 engages the roll |63 on the lever |6| and operates the lever to pull on the rod |66 to release the toe gripper. The lever |65 operates through a link a lever |12 and a link |13 to raise and lower the wipers 52, as is to be more fully described later.

In the case of the side grippers, a linger |16 (Fig. 9) is pivotally mounted on the stud 1| forming the pivot of the upper jaw. The finger |16 has a second arm |18 extending beyond the stud 1| and adapted to engage a pin |80 projecting from one of the levers |44. Downward movement of the nger |16, on engagement thereof by the under surface of the wipers as they descend to perform their wiping action on the upper, may be effective to cause the arm |18 to engage the pin |66 on the lever |44 and cause the roll |50 carried thereby to swing the arm 16 from under the tail 12 of the upper jaw and allow the springs 84 to open the side gripper jaws. Should the side grippers be opened in this manner, the wedge members |20, which are then exerting a downward pull on the side grippers, will draw the grippers farther downward, but the gripper jaws having once been opened by the action of the wipers remain open during such further descent and exercise no further tensioning action on the upper.

Should the side grippers, in performing their` upper-tensioning movement, have moved so far downwardly in the machine that the wipers in their downward movement do not contact the fingers |16, the jaws will be opened substantially at the time when the wipers reach the end of their descending movement and before they advance and close by upward movement of the links |43 associated with the side grippers, such upward movement being effected by means of cam-operated pull rods |82 (Fig. 9) which extend upwardly through substantially vertical bores in inwardly extending arms |84 projecting from yoke-like levers |06 which are coupled to the links |43 of the side grippers and are pivotally mounted on the blocks 98. The rods |82 at their lower ends are pivoted to the front arms |88 of levers (Fig. 1) fulcrumed between their ends on a shaft |90 fixed in the frame. The rear arms |92 of the levers are pivoted to a link |94 the upper end of which is pivoted at |96 to one arm Of an angle lever |98 fulcrumed at 200 on the frame. The other arm of the angle lever carries a roll 202 which engages a cam path 204 in a cam 206 on the main shaft ||9. The cam path 204 is designed to move the angle lever clockwise to release the side grippers at about the time the wipers have finished their downward and wiping movements.

The means for causing upward movement of the central portion of the shoe support and for causing the toe-end gripper to close upon the upper is generally similar to that described in the application referred to above. However, latch members 201, 208 associated with the shoe-support mechanism and the toe-end grippers respectively are, in the present machine, automatically released. As shown in Fig. l, a lever pivoted on the shaft has an arm 2|0 carrying a roll seated in the track 204 of the cam 206, the lever having an arm 2|2 connected by a link 2|4 to an arm 266 pivoted on the shaft |33 and to which a latch-releasing bar 2 6 is pivoted. At the proper time in the cycle, sufficient clockwise rotation is imparted to the lever 2|0, 2|2 by the cam track 204 to cause the bar 2I8 to release first the latch 201 to cause the central portion of the work support to rise and then the latch 208 to permit the rod |28 to be drawn down by the springs |42 to cause the toe gripper to grip and pull the upper.

The central portion of the work support is carried by a vertical sliding post 222 (Fig. 6) on the lower portion 224 of which is a pin 226. This pin is engaged by a vertically sliding member 223 (Fig. 5) which has a roll 23|) resting on a cam plate 232. The plate is'fixed to a shaft 234 on which is an arm pivotally connected by a link 238 to an arm 240 on an angle lever pivoted at 242 on the post 69. The other arm 244 of the angle lever carries a hardened block 245 which overlies the upper end of the latch 201. A tension spring 248 is connected between a pin 250 on the arm 240 and a pin 252 on the post 69 so that when the latch 201 releases the arrn 244 the spring 248 will rotate the cam plate 232 and raise the central portion of the work support.

In the illustrated machine, the heightwise position of the central portion 258 of the work support is made adjustable in order that the angle formed between the upper surfaces of soles of different thicknesses Iand the sides of the last may be positioned at the desired height relative to the wipers irrespective of the thickness of the sole being operated upon. The central portion 258 (Fig. 6) of the shoe support is pivotally mounted on a transverse pin 260 carried by the upper portion 222 of the post whose lower portion 224 is engaged by the vertically sliding member 228. The upper portion 222 of the post is adjustable relatively to the lower portion 224 by means of a screw 264 threaded into a longitudinal bore 265 in the upper portion 222 and having its head seated in the lower portion 224. Relative rotation of the two portions is prevented by means of an upstanding lug 266 on the lower portion which engages a recess 268 in the upper portion. By removing the upper portion of the post in the machine and adjusting the setting of the screw 264, then replacing the upper portion of the post, the heightwise position of the central p0rtion of the shoe support may be readily adjusted. The bore 265 extends upwardly throughout the length of the upper portion 222 of the post but only the lower end portion of the bore is threaded. The setting of the screw 264 in the bore 265 is frictionally maintained by engagement of the up* per end of the screw. with the lower surface of a friction member 210 on which is seated the lower end of a compression spring 212 in the bore. The upper end of the spring engages the lower end of a plunger 214 the upper end portion of which projects beyond the'upper end of the post and engages a machined surface 276 on the under side of a pivoted bar 218 forming part of the central portion 258 of the work support. The plunger 214 engages the bar 210 more or less directly below the pivot 260 for the bar and is effective to retain the central portion of the shoe support in its operative position about its pivot and minimizes any tendency for that portion to be tipped upward about its pivot 200 on the post 222. When the operator wishes to remove an outer portion 28d of the work support, the central portion 258 may be turned about the pivot .260 into an upright position where it will be retained by the plunger 2M,

In the operation of the machine on a shoe, it has been found desirable to effect foredraw move ment of the toe-end gripper, which movement will be substantially independent of the amount of downward upper-tensioning movement there- The amount of the downward movement will depend upon the amount of looseness of the upper upon the last and upon the stretchability of thel upper materials. Furthermore, it has been found desirable for this foredraw movement to occur after the side grippers have moved downwardly somewhat with a view to achieving the result that the side grippers will be imparting sufiicient tension to the upper to hold the last stationary on the shoe support against any tendency to tip about a toeward sole-engaging stud 282 of the shoe support when the foredraw movement is applied to the toe-end gripper.

In the illustrated machine, the foredraw mechanism (Fig. 6) comprisesI a roll 29d arranged to engage a substantially vertical surface 296 on the forward face of the toe-end gripper casing 62, said roll being pivoted on a horizontal pin 290. The pin is received in upwardly extending ears on the forward portion of a lever 332 which has parallel portions disposed one on each side of the toe-end gripper casing and extending rearwardly in the machine. The lever 302 is pivoted to the bracket el attached to the post 69 by means of pins 202 which extend through boresin the depending ears formed substantially midway of the the pin 66 when foredraw movement is imparted to the gripper by the roll 294 andthe gripper is normally held forwardly in the machine by the action of a spring 30e connected between the sleeve 65 and the bracket 61. To impart foredraw movement to the gripper against the action of the spring 306, the lever 302 is swung in a rearward direction about its pivot pins 304 by lengthwise movement of a downwardly and rearwardly extending link 308 made adjustable for length and pivoted at its upper end to the rear end of the lever 302 and at its lower end to a camactuated lever 3&0. This lever is pivoted on the shaft H52 and is acutated to impart foredraw movement to the gripper after the latter has moved downwardly an appreciable amount by a cam surface l.Elli formed on the periphery of 'the .cam i I8 on the cam shaft l I9. v

' In the manufacture of inexpensive stitchdown Shoes it the practice with some manufacturers to employ an unlimited upper the toe portion of itsy voverlie.

which comprises an outer layer of material, for example leather, and a toe stiffener but no lining. In makingsuch shoes it is common practice to use stiffeners of a given length and width in shoes theupp'ers ofwhich are of different sizes. Thus, while the toe of the stifiener material may lie in suitable registration with the toe end of the outer layer, a't the side portions of the toe, portions of the surplus stiffener material may project outwardly from beneath the edges of the outer layer.

`When a toe-shaping operation is to be performed'on such a shoe, the outwardly projecting surplus portions of stiifener material will usually bein a sticky condition and such portions will tend to adhereto the lower jaws of the side grippers when the latter are opened to permit the wipers `to perform their operation on the shoe. Such adhesion may be sulficient to tear away partially the surplus portions from the remainder of the toe stiffener and, when the grippers are subsequently returned to their initial positions and the shoe is removed from the machine, may cause at least partial loss of the shaping effects previously produced on the upper since the adhesion of-the surplus portions to the lower jaws will be likely to cause displacement of the outflanged margin of the upper material adjacent to the crease at the opposite sides of the shoe. To avoid this, means is provided for forcibly dislodging any such portions of the stiifener Inaterial which may adhere to the side grippers.

Each stripping device (Fig. 9) comprises a mem ber having a crossbar 350 lying just outward of, and at least substantially parallel to, the outer edge of the lower jaw of the side gripper with which it is associated. The crossbar 350 is provided with outwardly extending ears 352 by which it is freely pivoted on the stud H forming the pivotof the upper jaws of the side grippers. Extending inwardly from the crossbar 350 is a plurality (for example ve) of relatively iine prongs '35e arranged somewhat like the teeth of a comb, the prongs as seen in plan (Fig. 4) being substantially perpendicular to the adjacent portion of the outer edge of the lower jaw which they The prongs extend across the width of the jaw and, when the gripper is closed, three of the prongs lie in grooves 355 cut in the gripping faces of thev jaw G0 and extend across its inner end. The prongs underlie the margin of the upper gripped by the jaws but do not interfere with the normal gripping action of the jaws upon the upper.

The prongs 354 remain in their raised position, as shown in Fig. 9, while the machine is inoperative and, in order to prevent upper material from entering the' space between the lower sides of the prongs and the lower jaw, the free ends of the prongs are turned down to shroud the spacebetween them and the lower jaw of the gripper, the downturned ends, when the jaws are closed, entering the grooves in the end portion of the gripper jaw. Toward the end of a cycle of oper-ations of the machine, when the grippers are returned to their initial positions (the jaws having been previously opened as hereinbefore described), the prongs of each stripping device are forcibly urged upward out of the grooves in the lower jaw by the engagement with the crossbar 350 of a projection 353 extending upwardly from the lupper end of the wedge member |20 associated with the gripper-operating mechanism. The projection 358 extends upwardly through an opening in the gripper casing and engages the crossbar when the wedge member i2 is moved upwardly to return the grippers to their initial position. The upward movement of the prongs out of their groove will forcibly detach from the lower gripper jaw any of the stiifener material which may then be adhering thereto.

When a shoe has been correctly presented to the machine with the margin of its upper projecting over the two stripping devices of the side grippers and the operator starts the machine into operation, the consequent downward movement of the two wedge members associated with the side grippers will allow the two stripping devices to move downwardly about their pivots 1l until the prongs are received within the grooves 356 in the lower jaws 60 of the grippers.

In using a machine organized as described in the application referred to above, it has been found that movement of the heel-end abutment 5o into engagement with the heel end of the shoe tends to cause the last to be displaced in the toeward direction so that its lower beveled face tends to override the upper surface of the toepositioning ngers 58. In order to minimize such tendency, in the illustrated machine, the movement of the heel-end abutment is delayed until the grippers have moved to exert some tension on the toe-end portion of the upper, such tension being effective to hold down the toe-end portion of the last and minimizing any tendency thereof to override the upper surface of the ngers.

A post 366 (Fig. l) which carries the heel abutment 56 has pivoted to it at 362 an adjustable arm 364 the lower side of which has rack teeth engaging a pinion 366 on a shaft journaled in the machine frame. On this shaft is a ratchet wheel 368 on the hub of which is wound a cable 310 held under tension by a spring 312. On a Xed shaft 314 a lever 316 is fulcrumed between its ends, the upper arm of the lever being curved forwardly to engage the end of the arm 364 and the lower arm being connected by a rod 318 to a lever 380 fulcrumed on the shaft |66 and having at its lower end a roll which engages a cam path 382 in the cam 286. After the grippers have seized and pulled the upper, the cam path 382 allows the lever 386 to release its pull on the rod 318, the lever then turning clockwise and allowing the spring 3l2 to move the abutments 56 into shoe-engaging position. The lever 316 carries a pawl 384 which finally engages the ratchet wheel 368 and locks the abutment 56 in shoe-engaging position.

In order further to minimize the risk of the toe end of the last riding up over the surfaces of the positioning fingers '58, particularly when the shoe is being presented to the machine, these fingers are provided with two last-engaging surfaces (Fig. 3), one 386 of these surfaces being adapted to engage the beveled face of the last and the other surface 381 formed on an upwardly projecting portion of the iinger being adapted to engage the surface of the last immediately above the beveled face referred to above. The construction is such that, as the last is placed into engagement with the fingers, the surfaces 381 serve to prevent the beveled face of the last from overriding the ngers.

In the illustrated machine, the return of the fingers 58 from their retracted position to their operative last-engaging position is delayed as compared with the corresponding movements in the machine disclosed in the above-mentioned application. By delaying their return to as late 12 a stage as possible, the operator is given more time to remove the shoe from the machine before the fingers return to their operative position, thus preventing engagement of the ngers with the upper after the shaping operation.

The wipers 52 are carried by a wiper-carrying casting 388 (Fig. l) which is moved forward into operative position with respect to the shoe by depression of a treadle 388 which pulls on a link 392 to move clockwise an angle lever having three arms 334, 385, 336, the link 362 being connected to the arm 334. The arm 395 pulls on a rod 398 connected to a lever 483 pivoted on the frame at 402 and having an arm 404 which, with a link 466, constitutes a toggle straightening of which by the pull on the rod 338 moves the wiper-carrying casting 338 into operative position. The toggle 404, 486 is automatically broken to allow the wipers to be retracted by a spring 408 when, near the end of the cycle, the lever |32 is operated to raise the grippers. For this purpose an arm 4|0 is pivoted on the shaft E33 and is held by a spring 4l2 against an abutment on the lever |32. When the lever E32 moves clockwise to raise the grippers, the arm (H6 strikes the third arm 396 of the angle lever and pushes on the rod 398 to break the toggle.

The wiper-carrying casting 388 has a sliding connection at 'lill with a block 4l6 pivoted at 4|8 to the frame. The block is connected at 420 `with the link |13 which is operated as described by the cam lever H55 which raises and lowers the wipers. The block 446 carries a rearwardly extending arm 422 connected by a link 424 to an arm 426 on a rockshaft 428, the arm being moved clockwise as the wipers descend. On the shaft 428 is a similar arm connected to a rod 430 which has (Fig. 2) a bifurcated upper end embracing a center pivot pin 432 of a toggle comprising links 434, 436. The forward link 434 is pivoted to a slide 438, and the rear end of the link 436 is pivoted on a shaft 440 journaled in a casting 442 which carries pins 44| (Fig. l) journaled in the frame 42. The casting Icarries the shoe-positioning iingers 58 and its forward end is supported by a spring plunger 444. The rear link 436 of the toggle is provided with a tail portion 446 which depends below the pivot 448. The tail portion is engaged by a spring-pressed plunger 448 which is received in a rearwardly extending bore in the slide 438 and which acts to urge the toggle into its straightened position which is determined by engagement of an abutment 458 on the link 436 with the slide.

When the wipers are moved downwardly during the operation of the machine on a shoe, the rod 436 is moved upwardly to engage the pin 432 at the joint of the toggle 434, 436 and lift it to break the toggle against the action of the spring plunger 448. rlhus the breaking of the toggle ithdraws the slide 438 to which the shoe-positioning ngers 58 are connected.

When the toggle 434, 436 has been broken, a latch member 452 which extends up from a transverse horizontal pin 454 by which it is pivoted to the slide 438 is swung by the action of a springpressed poppet 456 forwardly until a projection 458 on the latch moves under the pin 432 and prevents downward movement of the pin when the rod 430 is lowered as the wipers are raised after they have performed their wiping operation.

When, toward the end of the fourth stage of the cycle of the machine the grippers are raised and the toggle 404, 486 automatically broken, the wiper-carrying casting 388 is retracted by the "'498 on the plate.

'13 spring 488 and as it moves rearwardly a collar 468 adjustably mounted on a wiper-closing rod 462 engages the latch 452 and moves it rearwardly, thus releasing the toggle 484, 436 and allowing the spring plunger 448 to straighten the toggle and restore the shoe-positioning fingers '8 to their operative positions.

Usually the right-hand head of the machine will be adjusted for operation on the right shoe of a pair and the left-hand head for operation on the left shoe of the pair. Such adjustments include moving the shoe-positioning iingers 58 toward and from each other to accommodate shoes of different widths and swinging the lingers bodily to the right or left of the center line of the head to accommodate lasts with different degrees of swing or different styles of toe. To facilitate the adjustment of the positioning fingers of one head to correspond with those of the other head, novel means is provided comprising scales and pointers so that the adjustment of the iingers of one head may be read off and the other head adjusted to correspond.

Each head of the machine is provided with the following mechanism. A rod 464 (Fig. 4) 1s threaded into blocks 468, 469, the part of the thread in one blockbeing a right-hand thread and the part in the other block being a left-hand thread. The blocks are pivoted to angle levers 418 which are connected by links 412 to the shoepositioning fingers 58 which occupy arcuate grooves 414 in the casting 442. Rotation of th-e rod 464 will thus move the fingers 58 along their grooves toward and from each other. A sleeve 416 is concentric with the rod 464 and has a lefthand end portion threaded into the slide 438. The rod 464 is freely rotatable within the sleeve 416 and is held against axial movement relatively thereto. Rotation of the sleeve therefore displaces the rod 464 laterally in the machine to swing the bell-crank levers 418 in the same direction about their pivots to offset the ngers 58 with respect to the center line of the head of the machine with which they are associated. The sleeve 416 is freely rotatable within a block 418 and is held against axial movement relatively thereto by engagement of one end of the block with a flange 419 on the sleeve and by engagement of the other end of the block by a thumb head 488 by which the sleeve may be rotated.

Secured in slightly spaced relation to the under side of the block is a rearwardly extending plate 482 having an arcuate rear edge. Thisedge is concentric with the axis of a pivot pin 484 which extends through a bore in the block 418. A pointer 486 is pivoted on the pin 484 below the plate 482, and another pointer 488 is pivoted on the samepin and lies above the plate. The pointer 486 extends rearwardly and has a pointed end portion which is bent up and over the arcuate edge of the plate so that its end lies above a scale The pointer 488 also extends rearwardly and has a pointed end portion which lies over a scale 49|. The pointer 486 has a forwardly extending arm 492 having a short stud 483 which is connected by a rigid wire link 494 with the slide 438. The other pointer 488 is provided with a stud 496 extending upwardly at the rear of the block 418 and pivotally connected at its upper end by means of a link 491 to the upper end portion of the pin 484. The stud 496 is connected by means of a rigid wire link 498 to the block 469.

When the rod 464 is rotated by its thumb head 688 the pointer 488 moves over the scale 49| and A brief description of the operation of theV machine in the successive stages of a complete cycle follows.

The wipers 52, grippers 46, 48 and 58, vamppressing member 54, toe-and-positioning ngers 58 and the shoe-supporting devices 56 of the illustrated machine occupy the positions shown in Fig. 1 when the machine is at rest ready to commence the cycle of operations. In the illustrated machine, however, the upper jaw of each of the three grippers will be widely open to permit the upper to be easily placed between thejaws. The prongs 354 of the stripping devices for the two side grippers will at this time be raised above the work-engaging faces of the lower jaws.

Before presenting a shoe to the machine, the operator will satisfy himself that the wipers 52 fitted to the machine are of the correct shape for the work in hand and that they are properly adjusted in the machine to operate satisfactorily upon the work.

The operator will then present a shoe, say a right shoe, to the right-hand head of the machine with the toe-end portion of the upper turned back so that he has a clear veiw of the toe end of the last and of the toe-end-positioning fingers 58. He will then, if necessary, adjust the position of these fingers by rotation of the thumb heads 488 and 588 until they properly position the toe-end portion of the last in the machine.

The operator may then read off the positions of by appropriate adjustment of the screw 264 pro-V jecting from the upper portion 222 ofthe post.

Having prepared the machine for operation on the shoe, the operator smooths the toe portion of th-e upper downwardly into its previously contacting relation with the last. At this time the central portion 258 of the shoe-supporting device occupies a'somewhat lowered position in the machine, thus facilitating the introduction of the toe end of the sole beneath the inner edges of the lower jaws of the grippers. The toe end of the last is held in engagement with the toeend-positioning fingers 58, the last-engaging surfaces 386, 881 of which engage respectively the bevel and end face of the last, thus minimizing any tendency for the last to override the fingers. The fact that the gripper jaws are widely open facilitates the introduction of the upper materials into position Vto be grasped by the jaws.

The operator will now depress a clutch-engaging treadle 584 which initiates the rst stage ci the cycle o1 operations. During this stage ase/1,883

which occupies some 20 of revolution of the cam shaft H9, the cam surface Il'l, through the mechanism described, pulls on the cables H of the auxiliary gripper-actuating mechanism partially to close the jaws of the grippers and then releases tension on the cables. The cam path |68, through the mechanism described, operates the latch-releasing member 2I8 to release the latch member 201 holding the central portion of the shoe-supporting device in lowered position. This allows the spring 268 to raise the central portion 258 to sole-engaging and shoe-supporting position. Further movement of the member 2l8 releases the latch 208 and allows the updraw springs H32 associated with the toe-end gripper to close that gripper upon the upper but no tensioning movement of the gripper occurs at this time. The machine is then brought to rest automatically by the clutch mechanism.

If the operator is satised with the positioning of the shoe, he will then initiate the second stage of the cycle by again depressing the clutch-actuating treadle 504. During this stage the cam track |40, through the mechanism described, causes the toe-end gripper to commence its tensioning movement by drawing that gripper downwardly in the machine while the side grippers close upon the upper and then move downwardly, outwardly and toewardly to tension the upper. After the side grippers have moved to apply some degree of tension to the upper, the heel-end abutment 56 is allowed by the cam path 382 to be moved into engagementI with the heel end of the shoe and to be locked in that position, and the cam surface 3M acts through the mechanism described to initiate the foredraw movement of the toe-end gripper by moving that gripper rearwardly in the machine to apply a foredraft to the upper which is substantially independent of the downward movement of the gripper. The machine is automatically brought to rest at the end of the second stage by the clutch mechanism, the cam shaft H9 having by this time completed about one-fifth of a revolution. While the grippers are tensioning the upper the operator inspects the upper and makes any necessary adjustments of the tension applied by any of the grippers, as described in the above-mentioned application, after which he will depress the wipercontrolling treadle 396, which movement straighti ens the toggle 404, 406 to move the wipers 52 and vamp-pressing member 54 into operative position, and he then operates the clutch-actuating treadle 504 to initiate the third stage of the cycle of operations.

This third stage corresponds to the second stage of the operation of the machine disclosed in the above-mentioned application in which, as in the present machine, the periphery of the shoe support is raised by a cam path 506 in the lefthand face of the cam H8. The wipers 52 are advanced by the cam track 508 in the right-hand face of the cam H8. lIhe wipers are closed by a -cam track i@ in the right-hand face of the cam 206. In the illustrated machine, however, the toe-end gripper is further operated in the third stage of the machine to foredraw the upper, and the toe-end gripper is opened as a result of upward movement of the links M3 associated therewith by the movement of the cam lever |65 to depress the wipers. The side grippers will be opened by engagement of the gripper-releasing lingers 116 by the wipers of the grippers have not descended suliciently far in the machine to lower the ngers out of the path of the downward lil) movement of the wipers or, if this is the case, the side grippers will be opened by the power-operated cam 206 the cam path 204 of which operates as already described to release the side grippers. In the illustrated machine it will be noted that once the arms 16 have been moved out of the positions in which they are at right angles to the under surfaces 'l2 of the tail portions 'I0 of the upper jaws of the grippers, the jaws are held open by the springs 84. At the end of the third stage of the cycle of operations the grippers occupy lowered and opened positions, while the wipers 52 and the surrounding portion 280 of the shoesupporting device are operating to cause a semipermanent set to be imparted to the outwardly extending flange of the upper which overlies the margin of the sole then engaged by said surrounding portion of the shoe-supporting device. After the lapse of sufcient time for such a set to be imparted to the flange of the upper, during which ti.L e the operator may conveniently place the other shoe of the pair in the other head of the machine, the operator will initiate the fourth and nal stage of the cycle of operations of the first head, during which stage the operating nstrumentalities are returned to their initial positions except that, in the illustrated machine, as the grippers reach their initial positions, the stripping devices 350 of the side grippers will be forcibly raised to remove any material tending to adhere to the lower jaws of the grippers so as to facilitate removal of the shoe from the machine.

Furthermore, the return o-f the toe-end-positioning fingers to their initial positions is prevented by the latch member 452 which retains the toggle 434, 436 in broken condition until the wiper-carrying casting 388 is moved rearwardly in the machine, whereupon as the wipers complete their rearward movement the collar 460 engages the latch '152, allowing the toggle to straighten and restore the Shoe-positioning lingers to their operative positions. This delay in the return of the toe-end-positioning fingers to operative position gives the operator more time in which to remove the shoe from the machine before the return of the fingers, thus minimizing the possibility of their engaging the edge of the anged portion of the shoe upper and moving it from the neighboring portion of the sole.

The cam shaft l I9 is brought to rest automatically at the end of the cycle of operations of the machine by the clutch mechanism, with the various instrumentalities ready to operate upon a shoe of the next pair.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for working uppers over lasts, a gripper having its jaws widely open, power-operated means for partially closing the gripper jaws, means for closing the gripper jaws upon the upper, and means for operating the gripper to pull the upper.

2. In a machine for working uppers'over lasts, a gripper having its jaws widely open, means for moving one jaw toward the other partially to close the gripper jaws, and power-operated means for continuing such movement to close the gripper jaws upon the upper and to pull the upper,

3. In a machine for working uppers over lasts,

.a gripper having its jaws widely open, power-operated means for partially closing the gripper jaws, and power-operated means for closing the gripper jaws upon the upper and for pulling the upper 4. In a machine for/working uppers over lasts, a gripper having a lower jaw, an upper jaw connected to the lower jaw by a pvot and having a tail extending beyond the pivot, a pivoted strut, means for swinging the strut to engage the tail and partly to close the jaws, means for turning the upper jaw and strut about the pivot of the jaw to close the jaws upon the upper, and means for moving the jaws bodily to tension the upper.

5. In a machine for working uppers over lasts, a lower jaw., an upper jaw connected to the lower jaw by a pivot and having a tail extending beyond the pivot, a pivoted strut having a projection, a rod movable lengthwise to engage said projection and move the strut against the tail of the jaw partially to close the gripper, a semicircular member pivoted at the center of curvature and pivoted to said rod, a cable attached to said member to lie along its periphery, and power-operated means for pulling on the cable to operate the strut.

6. In a machine for working uppers over lasts, a gripper comprising upper and lower jaws pivoted together, the upper jaw having a tail extending beyond the pivot, a pivoted strut having a projection, a rod movable lengthwise to engage said projection to move the strut against the tail of the jaw partially to close the gripper and to locate the strut substantially at right angles to the tail, a semicircular member pivoted at the center of its curvature and pivoted to said rod, a cable attached to said member to lie along its periphery, and power-operated means to pull upon the cable to operate the strut.

7. In a machine for working uppers over lasts, a gripper having a lower jaw,` an upper jaw connected to the lower jaw by a pivot and having a tail extending beyond the pivot, a strut, a pivot therefor, means for swinging the strut to engage the tail and partly close the jaws, means for arresting the movement of the strut when it is just beyond, a position at right angles to the tail, means for turning the upper jaw and the strut about the pivot of the jaws to close the jaws upon the upper, and means for moving the jaws bodily to tension the upper.

8. In a machine for working uppers over lasts, an upper-tensioning gripper comprising a casing, a lower jaw fixed tothe gripper casing, an upper jaw connected to the gripper casing by a pivot and having a tail, side' plates mounted to turn on said pivot, a strutl mounted on a pivot between the side plates and movable to engage said tail partially to closeV the jaws, a block between the side plates, a movable wedge member i engaging said block, and means for moving the wedge member to turn the side plates about their pivot to complete closing of the jaws and to mov the gripper bodily to pull the upper. Y

9. In a machine for operating upon shoes, an upper-tensioning gripper, means for opening and closing the jaws of the gripper to seize and release the upper, and means associated with a jaw of the gripper for releasing the upper should it adhere to the jaw when the jaws are opened.

10. In a machine for operating upon shoes, an upper-tensioning gripper comprising upper and lower jaws, means for opening and closing the movable about the pivot of the jaws, prongs carried by the bar and normally lying in recesses in one of the jaws, and means for engaging the bar when the jaws are opened to lift the prongs out of the recesses and strip the upper from that jaw.

12. In a machine for operating upon shoes, an upper-tensioning gripper, means for opening and closing the jaws of the gripper to seize and release the upper, a comb-like member associated with a jaw of the gripper, the prongs of the comb, being recessed in the gripping surfaces of the jaw, and means operated by the means for opening the jaws for lifting the comb-like member to free the upper from the gripping face of the jaw.

i3. In a machine for operating upon shoes, an upper-tensioning gripper comprising pivoted upper and lower jaws, means for operating the jaws `to seize and release the upper, a bar extending 14. In a machine for operating upon shoes, a

last, a support' for engaging the shoe bottom,

last-positioning fingers movable into and out of operative position to locate the last upon the support, upper-tensioning means, wipers movable into and out ci operative position over the toe of the shoe and heightwise thereof to wipe the tensioned upper, means for retracting the shoepositioning fingers during the wiping operation,

v means for holding the iingers in retracted posijaws to seize and release the upper, upper freeing tion, and means for releasing said holding means when the wipers are withdrawn from operative position over the shoe.

16. In a machine for working an upper over a last, a support for engaging a shoe bottom, lastpositioning fingers movable into and out of operative position to locate the last upon the shoe support, upper-tensioning means, wipers movable into and out of operative position over the toe of the shoe and movable heightwise thereof to wipe the tensioned upper, means for retraoting the shoe-positioning ngers operated during the heightwise movement of the wipers, a latch for holding the fingers in retracted position, and meansfor releasing the latch when the wipers reach their inoperative position.

17. In a machine for working an upper over a last, a support for engaging the shoe bottom, lastpositioning ngers movable into and out of operative position to locate the last upon the support, upper-tensioning means, wipers, a wiper-carrying head movable into and out of operative position over the toe f the shoe and heightwise thereof to cause the wipers to wipe the tensioned upper toward the shoe bottom, a toggle connected to the shoe-positioning fingers, means operated during heightwise movement of the wipers for bending the toggle to retract the shoe-positioning ngers, a latch for holding the toggle in bent position, and means on the wiper-carrying head to engage the latch when the Wiper-carrying head reaches its widthdrawn position from over the shoe.

18. In a machine for working an upper over a last, a shoe support, shoe-positioning ngers for locating the shoe upon said support, means for moving the fingers toward and from each other to locate lasts of dierent sizes, means for moving the fingers bodily laterally of the shoe support to locate lasts of dierent swing, a scale and pointer for indicating the amount of movement of the ngers toward and from each other, and a scale and pointer for indicating the amount of bodily lateral movement of the ngers to the right or left.

19. In a machine for working an upper over a last, a shoe support, shoe-positioning fingers for locating the shoe upon the support, means including a rightand left-hand threaded screw for moving the ngers toward and from each other to locate lasts of diierent sizes, means including a threaded sleeve concentric with the screw for moving the iingers bodily laterally of the shoe support to locate lasts of different swing, a scale. a pointer operated by rotation of the screw for indicating the amount of movement of the fingers toward and from each other, a second scale ,and a second pointer operated by rotation of the sleeve for indicating the amount of bodily lateral movement of the fingers to the right or left.

20. In a machine for Working an upper over a last, a shoe support to support the upper right side up, an abutment to engage the rear end portion of the shoe, a pair of shoe-positioning fingers engaging the end face of the toe portion of the last, means for varying the spacing of the ngers from each other, means for tensioning the upper to hold the shoe dovvn on the support and in engagement with the ngers, and means acting after the upper is so tensioned for moving the abutment into contact with the rear portion of the last and locking it in shoe-holding position.

21. In a machine for operating on a stitchdown shoe having an upper loosely mounted on a last the bottom of Which is beveled and an extension sole attached to the last, a support for the shoe sole, an abutment movable to engage the rearend portion of the shoe, positioning fingers engaging the toe portion of the last both on its end face and on the beveled portion, means for tensioning the upper heightwise of the last, and

means operating after the upper has been placed under tension for moving the abutment into engagement with the shoe and holding it against said fingers.

22. In a machine for Working an upper over a last, a support to hold an upper on its last right side up, an initially retracted abutment to engage the rear portion of a shoe, means urging the abutment toward the shoe, a pair of shoe-positioning fingers, each engaging the end face of the toe portion of the last and a surface on the bottom portion of the last, means Vfor tensioning the 20 upper to hold the shoe down on the support and in engagement with the ngers, means acting automatically after the upper is so tensioned to permit the abutment to move into contact with the rear portion of the last, and means for locking the abutment in last-engaging position.

23. In a machine for working an upper over a last, a shoe support having a vertically movable center portion, a gripper for tensioning the toe portion of the upper, means including a, tensioned spring for raising the center portion of the work support, a latch for preventing action of the spring, and means for automatically tripping the latch to cause the center portion of the Work support to be raised by its spring When the machine begins Iits operation.

24. In a machine for Working an upper over a last, a shoe support having a vertically movable center portion, a gripper for tensioning the toe portion of the upper, means including a tensioned spring for raising the center portion of the Work support, a latch for preventing action of the spring, means for automatically tripping the latch to cause the center portion of the Work support to be raised by its spring when the machine begins its operation, and means including a screw for varying the heightwise position of the center portion of the shoe support.

25. In a machine for Working an upper over a last, a shoe support, a gripper for tensioning the toe portion of the upper, spring means for closing the gripper and pulling the upper, a latch for preventing action of the spring means, and means for automatically tripping the latch to cause the grippers to grip the upper at an early stage in the operation of the machine.

26. In a machine for Working an upper over a last, a shoe support having a vertically movable center portion, a gripper for tensioning the toe portion of the upper, spring means for closing the gripper and pulling the upper, means for automatically placing the spring means under tension, a first latch for preventing action of the spring means, means including a tensioned spring for raising the central portion of the Work support, a second latch for preventing action of the spring, and power-operated means for rst tripping the second latch to allow the central portion of the Work support to be raised by its spring and then tripping the rst latch to cause the gripper to grip the upper.

FRANK COLEMAN CHOICE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

